If you've every worked for a small to midsize company, chances are you tried to stay friendly with the

bookkeeper

. That's because he or she handled things like your payroll, 401K, expense forms, health insurance paperwork, and other important financial aspects affecting you and your coworkers. Beyond making sure you get paid, however, the bookkeeper is also behind the scenes of the organization, handling financial transactions, keeping meticulous records, preparing financial statements and reports, handling company banking issues, and more.

Think you've got what it takes to become everyone's friendly, go-to bookkeeper?

Bookkeeping Basics
While it's not required for aspiring bookkeepers to have completed a bachelor's degree, almost all companies expect a high school diploma, and increasingly many others are seeking candidates with some college, up to an associate degree.

Once you've landed a job, another way to move up the ranks is to become certified. The Certified Bookkeeper designation, awarded by the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers, indicates that your skills are up to speed. To become a certified bookkeeper, candidates must have at least two years of bookkeeping experience and pass three exams. More than 100 colleges and universities offer a preparatory course for bookkeeping certification and another 150 offer a course online, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Is certification necessary? Not exactly, although such a résumé boost can open up many new career opportunities. According to a survey of employed certified bookkeepers conducted by Lewis & Clark Research (Raleigh, NC) on behalf of AIPB, 41 percent say they have been promoted and/or received a new job as a result of becoming certified.

Another skill set to explore when becoming a bookkeeper is computer knowledge. With many companies using accounting software such as Quickbooks or Quicken, you can set yourself apart from the pack by taking courses in such programs that will help you create invoices, track bank account balances and account information, and record accounts payable and receivable.

Whether you're always the one who figures out how to split the restaurant check, manage your family's budget, or if you simply like working with numbers, a bookkeeping career can be yours with the right education.